Folding rocking-chair



J. E. WAKEFIELD. Folding Booking-Chair.

No. 225,956 Patented Mar. 30,1880;

N-PETERS. FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHERA WASHINGTON, D. C.

llniinn STATES JOHN E. WAKEFIELD, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

' FOLDING ROCKING-CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,956, dated March 30, 1880,

- Application filed May 14, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. WAKEFIELD, of Worcester, in the State of Massachusetts, ha"e invented an Improvement in Folding Rocking-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

My present improvement relates to a rocking-chair having a link introduced between the rocker and the hind leg of the chair. Such link is provided with pivots at its ends, and with a bearing-flange to rest upon the top of the rocker, and thereby make a firm support, and this link passes between the rocker and leg, and the leg extends down inside the rocker, which allows for the rocker folding in the plane of the side pieces of the chairhack, so that the chair is very compact when folded for transportation.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of the chair as unfolded for use. Fig. 2 is a similar view folded. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the chair. Fig. 4 is a section of the link, chair-leg, and rocker 5 and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the link.

The seat-frame a has a cross-rail, b, and it is pivoted at 0 to the back-frame c, that is provided with the cross-rails d. The front legs, f, are part of the frame composing the back of the chair. Said legs f are shown as fastened to the part c at 2, and at their lower ends, 3, to the rockers e.

In the patent of E O. Holton, No. 179,920, a somewhat similar frame is shown; but the front legs swing at their connection to the back. Hence the front legs and back do not form one frame.

In this present application the links 70, extending from the lower ends of the back-frame 0, connect the same to the cross-rail l, or they may be fastened directly to the sides of the front legs, f, so that there is no motion at this place; or thelower ends of the side pieces, 0, of the back-frame may be extended, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the back and the front legs form one frame.

My improvement is available with either of these forms of folding chairs, or with the foldin g chair shown in Letters Patent No. 17 9,980.

The metallic links 8, employed between the lower ends of the seat-frame a (that form the back legs) and the rockers e, are each provided with a bearing-flange, 4", that extends out from one side. and rests upon the top of the rocker.

The links 8 are between the lower ends of the back legs and theinner sides of the rockers, and the pivot or screw 5 connects one end of the link with the rocker, and the screw 6 connects the other end with the leg. At one side of the link there is a flange, 1", that is in the proper position to rest upon the top of the rocker adjacent to the back leg. This flange 4' takes the weight of the chair at the back, and hence it is unnecessary for the back legs to have any other bearing than said links and flanges; and a screw-hole is, by preference, provided in each flange 1", so that it maybe screwed down to the rocker after the chair reaches its destination and is opened for use, so that it cannot be folded up without removing such screws.

When the chair is folded the seatframe swings on the pivot 0, and the links 8 force the rockers downward, and then draw them up again toward the back of the back-frame c, and the chair folds compactly into the form shown in Fig. 2.

I claim as my invention- 1. The links 8, with their flanges r, in combination with the folding chair-legs a, rockers e, and front legs, the links being connected to the rockers and the legs, respectively, and the flanges bearing upon the rockers, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a folding chair, of the back 0 and front legs, formed as one frame, the back legs, a, pivoted at 0 to the backframe, the rockers e, pivoted to the front legs, and the links .9, pivoted to the rockers and to the back legs, substantially as specified.

Signed by me this 9th day of May, A. D. 1879.

JOHN E. WAKEFIELD.

Witnesses:

Gno. 'l. PINGKNEY, CHAS. E. SMITH. 

